Paint brush with a brushing element of a foamed plastic

ABSTRACT

Paint brush constructions are disclosed utilizing brushing elements of foamed plastic materials. Each brush has a spring steel spade within its brushing element and extending into the ferrule. The brushing element, the spade and the handle are locked together within the ferrule with an epoxy.

LoCicero et al.

1 Mar. 19, 1974 1 1 PAINT BRUSH WITH A BRUSHING 3,229,317 1/1966 Linenfelser 15/244 x ELEMENT OF A FOAMED PLASTIC 2,962.746 12/1960 Heroy et al. 15/244 R [76] inventors: Vincent R. LoCicero, 136 Old FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Westford, Chelmsford, Mass. 852.199 10/1960 Great Britain 15/193 01824; Joseph DEntremont, 88 219.293 12/1958 Australia 15/244 R concord Billerica Mass Germany 66l 896 3/1964 Italy r 15/193 Flledl J 1972 975524 11/1964 Great Britain 15/244 R [21] Appl. No.: 261,078 I Primary ExaminerDaniel Blum [52] U.S. Cl 15/244 R 57 ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl A46b l5/00,-B44d 3/28 i [58] Field of Search 5/192 193 244, 244 CH Paint brush constructions are disclosed ut1l1z1ng brushing elements of foamed plastic materials. Each brush [56] References Cited has a spring steel spade within its brushing element and extending into the ferrule. The brushing element, UNITED TE PATENTS the spade and the handle are locked together within 2946.073 7/1960 v sbikian et al. 15/244 R x the ferrule with an epoxy 2.912.711 11/1959 Hilton 15/244 R 3.155.998 11/1964 Hardman et a]. 15/143 X 10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures A5- v I6 PATENTEUHAR 1 9 1914 FIG. 2.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Paint brushes of various constructions utilizing brushing elements of foamed plastic materials are available.

Brushes of the above type have the advantages of being of such low cost in comparison with those whose brushing elements are formed with bristles that they are usually considered as disposable. In some constructions, the entire brush is discarded after a single use while in others, the brushing elements are detachable so that they can be removed and replaced after use.

Brushing elements of foamed plastic materials carry paint satisfactorily but without internal reinforcement do not enable the carried paint to be spread as well as is desirable. Reinforcement to stiffen the brushing elements has been effected by providing the handles with portions that extend into the brushing element, such portions being either an integral part of the handle or a separate member attached thereto.

Examples of the above referred to types of brushes are illustrated by the following US. Pat. Nos. 3,079,628, 3,105,263, and 3,562,838.

While such stiffening of the brushing element was intended to make their action in use approximate that of conventional brushes, those prior to the present invention did not achieve that end to a sufficient extent.

THE PRESENT INVENTION The objective of the present invention is to provide a paint brush construction utilizing a brushing element of a foamed plasticmaterial and of low cost but having the feel," in use, of a conventional brush of the same size and capable of being economically produced to have a conventional appearance and a sufficiently extended life to avoid being regarded as disposable.

The general objective is attained with a paint brush having its foamed plastic brushing element provided with a brushing tip end and a slot opening through the other end and extending approximately to the tip end to accommodate a spring steel spade. The handle includes a head dimensioned to fit one end of a ferrule whose other end is dimensioned to receive and laterally compress the notched end of the element and its spade but with the received end of the element laterally compressed. An epoxy filling within the ferrule integrates the spade, handle and element. The invention provides means to prevent the free end of the spade from cutting through the brushing element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a partly broken away elevation of a paint brush;

FIG. 2 is a section taken approximately along the indicated lines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the brush;

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The brush shown in FIGS. 1 3 consists of a brushing element of a foamed plastic material having a double-bevelled tip 11 and a slot 12 opening through its other end and extending desirably to the tip 11. The slot 12 accommodates a spade 13 of thin spring steel stock shown as so dimensioned that when bottomed in the slot 12, its other end protrudes. Because the edges of the spade 13 are so sharp that in use the spade 13 would cut through the element 10, its end adjacent the tip 11 is provided with a' guard 14 to prevent such cutting as the element 10 is flexed during use.

A handle 15 has an elongated head 16 provided with transverse notches 17 and dimensioned to fit snugly within one end of a ferrule 18. The other end of the ferrule 18 is dimensioned to receive the end of the element 10 from which the spade 13 protrudes but requires that it be laterally compressed to effect such entry. The ferrule 18 has channels 19 extending lengthwise of each side into which the material of the element 10 expands. In practice, the element 10 is inserted into the ferrule, epoxy 20 added; and then the head of the handle 15 seated. The amount of epoxy used is such as to ensure its entry into the head notches 17, the encasement of the spade 13 which preferably butts against the handle head 16, and to so impregnate that portion of FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of a handle showing a the element 10 within the ferrule 18 that it is a solid, once the epoxy has set, that cannot be pulled from it.

In use, the spade 13 imparts that amount of resilient stiffening to the brushing element 10 so that its action is a close approximation of that of a conventional bristle brush.

In practice, with small brushes, those whose brushing elements range from one-half inch to an inch and a half, the width of the spades is approximately one-half the width of the brushing element. With brushing elements of 2 and 3 inch widths, the spade widths are approximately three-quarters of the brushing element width. Where the brushing elements are over 3 inches in width,the spade widths are almost an inch less than the width of the elements. In practice, the spade thickness is 0.010 inches for brushing elements either onehalf or 1 inch in width while, in the case of larger sizes, the spade thickness is 0.008 of an inch.

The guard prevents the sharp edge of the spade from cutting through the material. In this connection, reference is made to FIG. 6 wherein a spade 12A is shown having itsvslot entering end formed with a reversebend 21 to prevent the cutting of the material of the element 10 without the addition of a separate guard thereto. I

In the FIGS. 4 and 5, different handle heads 16A and 168, respectively, are shown, each with a different notch arrangement, both constructions also ensuring that the handles become securely connected to the other components.

We claim:

1. A paint brush comprising a foamed plastic brushing element having one end tapered to provide a brushing tip and a slot opening through the other end and extending approximately to said tip, a spring steel spade freely confined within said slot, a handle including a head, and a ferrule having one end snugly receiving a portion of said head and the opposite end receiving the other end of the element with the spade extending outwardly of the slot and within the confines of within the ferrule, said ferrule being dimensioned to constrict that portion of the element that is within the ferrule and including a transverse channel into which portions of the element expand, and an epoxy filling within the ferrule so impregnating that portion of the element that is within the ferrule as to render it solid and to encapture said solid portion, the upper end of the spade, and the proximate end of the handle within said ferrule.

2. The paint brush of claim 1 in which the spade protrudes from the ferrule-entering end of the element and is seated against the head.

3. The paint brush of claim 1 in which the ferrule entering edge of the handle head has longitudinally spaced transverse notches and the spade is seated against said edge.

4. The paint brush of claim 1 in which the spade thickness is in the approximate range of from 0.008 to 0.010 of an inch and means at the end of the spade that is adjacent the tip of the element to prevent the spade from cutting the element during use of the brush.

5. The paint brush of claim 4 in which the means includes an end cap wider than the spade end.

6. The paint brush of claim 4 in which the spade thickness is in the order of 0.010 of an inch with brushing elements of about 1 inch or less in width.

7. The paint brush of claim 4 in which the spade thickness is in the order of 0.008 of an inch with brushing elements more than one inch in width.

8. The paint brush of claim 6 in which the width of the spade is about one half the width of the brushing elements that are an inch and a half or less in width.

9. The paint brush of claim 7 in which the width of the spade is about three-quarters of the width of brushing elements in the 2 to 3 inch range.

10. The paint brush of claim 7 in which the width of the spade is about 1 inch less than than the width of brushing elements more than 3 inches in width. 

1. A paint brush comprising a foamed plastic brushing element having one end tapered to provide a brushing tip and a slot opening through the other end and extending approximately to said tip, a spring steel spade freely confined within said slot, a handle including a head, and a ferrule having one end snugly receiving a portion of said head and the opposite end receiving the other end of the element with the spade extending outwardly of the slot and within the confines of within the ferrule, said ferrule being dimensioned to constrict that portion of the element that is within the ferrule and including a transverse channel into which portions of the element expand, and an epoxy filling within the ferrule so impregnating that portion of the element that is within the ferrule as to render it solid and to encapture said solid portion, the upper end of the spade, and the proximate end of the handle within said ferrule.
 2. The paint brush of claim 1 in which the spade protrudes from the ferrule-entering end of the element and is seated against the head.
 3. The paint brush of cLaim 1 in which the ferrule entering edge of the handle head has longitudinally spaced transverse notches and the spade is seated against said edge.
 4. The paint brush of claim 1 in which the spade thickness is in the approximate range of from 0.008 to 0.010 of an inch and means at the end of the spade that is adjacent the tip of the element to prevent the spade from cutting the element during use of the brush.
 5. The paint brush of claim 4 in which the means includes an end cap wider than the spade end.
 6. The paint brush of claim 4 in which the spade thickness is in the order of 0.010 of an inch with brushing elements of about 1 inch or less in width.
 7. The paint brush of claim 4 in which the spade thickness is in the order of 0.008 of an inch with brushing elements more than one inch in width.
 8. The paint brush of claim 6 in which the width of the spade is about one half the width of the brushing elements that are an inch and a half or less in width.
 9. The paint brush of claim 7 in which the width of the spade is about three-quarters of the width of brushing elements in the 2 to 3 inch range.
 10. The paint brush of claim 7 in which the width of the spade is about 1 inch less than than the width of brushing elements more than 3 inches in width. 